HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 286/4/H1515    most recent 00819.2003v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (8) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kiviniemi, T. O. Articles by Hartiala, J. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kiviniemi, T. O. Articles by Hartiala, J. J.

Coronary artery diameter can be assessed reliably with transthoracic echocardiography

¹Department of Clinical Physiology, Nuclear Medicine, and PET, and ²Department of Medicine, Turku University Hospital, FIN-20520 Turku, Finland

Submitted 26 August 2003 ; accepted in final form 4 December 2003

We studied whether diameters of coronary arteries can be measured accurately with the use of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). By knowing the anatomic diameter of the coronary artery together with coronary flow velocity it is possible to measure coronary flow volume more precisely by TTE. However, the suitability of TTE for measurement of diameters of all main epicardial coronary arteries has not been systematically validated. We measured the diameters of the left main (LM), left anterior descending (LAD), left circumflex (LCX), and right coronary arteries (RCA) with the use of TTE [manual two-dimensional (2D), color-Doppler, and automated 2D analysis] in 30 patients who had normal coronary anatomy. We compared these diameters to those measured with quantitative coronary angiography (QCA). We could measure diameters of LM, LAD, LCX, and RCA by TTE in up to 37%, 63%, 7%, and 60% of patients, respectively. The overall correlation coefficients between TTE and QCA measurements were 0.83 (P < 0.01) with manual 2D analysis, 0.82 (P < 0.01) with automated 2D analysis, and 0.94 (P < 0.01) with a color-Doppler-based analysis. Interobserver variability of TTE measurements was low (coefficient of variation 5.4 ± 4.6–7.5 ± 8.8%). TTE is an accurate method to evaluate coronary artery diameter in patients with healthy coronary arteries.

angiography; circulation; Doppler analysis

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. H. Aburawi, A. Berg, P. Liuba, and E. Pesonen Effects of cardiopulmonary bypass surgery on coronary flow in children assessed with transthoracic Doppler echocardiography Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, August 1, 2007; 293(2): H1138 - H1143. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Wikstrom, J. Gronros, G. Bergstrom, and L.-m. Gan Functional and Morphologic Imaging of Coronary Atherosclerosis in Living Mice Using High-Resolution Color Doppler Echocardiography and Ultrasound Biomicroscopy J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., August 16, 2005; 46(4): 720 - 727. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]